Broadside under-water torpedo-launching apparatus.



PATENTBD OCT. 10, 1905.

A. B. JONES. BROADSIDE UNDER WATER TORPBDO LAUNGHING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 26, 1905.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

PATENTED OCT. 10, 1905.

A. E. JONES.

BROADSIDE UNDER WATER. TORPEDO LAUNCHING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 26, 1906.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

UNITED stares PATENT OFFICE.

ALBERT EDlVARD JONES, OF W EYA'IOUTH, ENGLAND, ASSIGNOR TO THE FIRM OF *HITEHEAD & (10., OF FIUME, AUSTRIA-HUNGARY.

BROADSIDE UNDER-WATER TORPEDO-LAUNOHING APPARATUS- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 10, 1905.

Application filed May 26,1905. Serial No. 262,526.

To 07/ [1'71 0117/ it 72140; concern:

Be it known that l, ALBERT EDWARD JoNus, managing director of the torpedo works of \Vhitehead & 00., of Fi'ume, Austria-Hungary. a subject of the King of Great Britain, residing at \Veymouth, England, have invent-ed certain new and useful Improvements in Broadside Under-lVater Torpedo-Launching Amiaratus; and ldo hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to broadside underwater torpedo-launching apparatus, in which the torpedo is supported by a frame integral with or operated by a torpedo-casing, such as a shield or bar, which is in turn rigidly secured to a piston working in a tube. When the torpedo has been completely pushed out of the ships body, it is released, so that it can continue its way, driven by its own motor. The outboard movement is imparted to the torpedo-casing by fluid under pressure admitted into the tube in rear of the piston. The fore-to-aft pressure exerted by the water upon the torpedo and torpedo-casing while they are being pushed out of the ships body and have the resistance that has to be overcome by the torpedo-casing during this movement increase with the speed of the ship. Consequently the speed with which the torpedo-casing and the torpedo arrive at the position in which the latter is released would be, all other things being equal, the lower the higher the speed of the ship is. Now the speed of the torpedo at the moment in which it arrives in the release position should bethe same for all speeds of the ship in order to permit of an accurate taking aim, and to obtain this result it has been proposed to make the initial pressure of the fluid used for pushing out the torpedo-casing the smaller the lower the ships speed is; but this method is so complicated and unreliable that it is entirely useless in light.

According to the presentinvention the initial pressure of the fluid used for pushing out the torpedo-casing and which is suflicient to impart to the torpedo a predetermined speed in the release position is left unaltered; but the admission of the fluid under pressure to the tube in rear of the piston operating the latter always with one and the same speed regardless of the speed of the ship and any other circumstances that might affect the movement of the torpedo-casing. Immediately after the torpedo has been released the backward or inboard movement of the torpedo-casing is effected byfluid under pressure in a positive manner by means of a mechanism to which fluid under pressure is admitted automatically when the torpedo-casing has reached the torpedo-releasing position.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view, partly in section, of the tube, the piston, and the torpedo-casing. Fig. 2 is a transverse section on the line A B, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a plan view, partlyin section, of the governingapparatus with the tube, the piston, and the torpedo-easing on a larger scale; and Fig. 4 is a longitudinal section of the mechanism for moving the piston and torpedocasing inward, the said mechanism being shown in the position which it occupies when the piston and torpedo-casing are in their outermost position and part of such mechanism being broken away.

1 is a tube of any known or preferred construction fast in the ships body below the water-line. 2 is a piston working therein, and 3 is the torpedo-casing rigidly secured to the piston, such casing being integral with or operating the frame supporting the torpedo during the outward movement of the said torpedo-casing. The said framing and the mechanism connecting it with the casing may be of any desired construction.

4. is a reservoir of fluid under pressure. 7 is a valve-casing in permanently-open connection with such reservoir. casing, and 9 is a pipe connection between the valve-casing and the tube 1.

10 is a scre\ spindle for governing the openingof valve 8.

12 is a shaft journaled in the ships body and driven by gearing 13 14: 15 from a rack 16, fast on the torpedo-casing 3.

17 is a mechanism for throttling the fluid under pressure in the pipe connection 9.

19 E20 represent a link-and-lever connection 8 is a valve in this between the throttling mechanism and a governor 21, operated by gearing 22 23 from shaft 12.

24: is an automatic exhaust-valve at the front or outer end of tube 1, and 30 is an exhaustvalve at the inner or rear end of tube 1. This valve is operated through the medium of linkand-lever gearing 4L8 46 from shaft 12, and 32 4L0 are an admission and an exhaust valve, respectively, for the mechanism for effecting the inward movement of the piston 2 and shield 3, such valves being operated through the medium of link-and-lever gearing 50 A9 47, as hereinafter more fully described.

The operation of the apparatus is the following: Assuming that the parts are in the position shown in Figs. 1 and 3 ready for launching a torpedo charged into the apparatus and that it is desired to launch the torpedo, fluid under pressure has to be admitted into the tube 1 in rear of the piston 2. This is preferably done in a well-known manner by opening a snifting-valve 5 in front of a piston 6, rigidly connected with the main admission-valve 8 in the valve-casing 7. The pressure on the front side of thepiston 6 being normally the same as that on its opposite side in the space of the valve-casing? between the piston 6 and valve 8, which space is in open connection with the reservoir 4,, and the diameter of the piston 6 being larger than the diameter of the valve 8, owing to the opening the shifting-valve 5, which permits fluid under pressure to escape from the front side of the piston 6, and thus relieves this side of the piston from pressure, the said piston is forced forward (to the left as shown in Fig. 3) by the fluid under pressure in the reservoir 4, and thus the valve 8 is lifted from its seat, permitting the said fluid to enter through the pipe connection 9 into the tube 1 in rear of piston 2, so that the piston and the torpedo-casing 3, secured thereto, commence their forward or outward movement. The opening movement of thepiston 6 and valve 8 is limited by a spindle 1O entering into the valve-casing 7 and screwing into a female thread in a yoke 11, adjustably secured to the valve-casing 7, and this spindle is revolved during the out ward movement of the torpedo-casing through the medium of a rack 16, secured thereto, engaging into a pinion 15, journaled in the tube 1 and driving by bevel-gearing 1 1 13 a shaft 12, this shaft being coupled with the spindle 10 in line with it, so that the two must revolve together, but are movable the one relatively to the other lengthwise. In this wellknown way the result is obtained that the valve 8 is opened only to a small extent at the starting of the piston 2 and torpedo-casing in their outward movement, but gradually opens more widely in the progress of the outward movement of the piston 2 and torpedo-casing 3, so that the latter are started without any shock. The shaft 12, revolved,

as above set forth, by the torpedo-casing 3 during its outward movemen t,drives,by means of suitable gearing 22 23, a governor of any desired constructionfor instance, a centrifugal governor 21-Which actuates by some suitable gearing, such as the link 20 and a lever 19, a throttling mechanism 17 in a casing 18, interposed in the pipe connection 9, leading from the valve-casing 7 to the tube 1, so

that an increase of the speed of the torpedocasing will cause the throttling mechanism 17 to reduce the free passage area for the fluid under pressure admitted through the valve 8 and even to entirely cut off such fluid under pressure from the tube 1, whereas a decrease of the speed of the torpedo-casing will cause the throttling mechanism to open more widely. As shown in Fig. 8, the throttling mechanism is constructed as a piston-valve; but it may be of any other known or preferred construction. After the torpedo-casing and the torpedo have been started, as above set forth, they will be accelerated, and consequently the free passage area controlled by the throttling mechanism 17 will be diminished until the speed of the torpedo-casing and the torpedo has reached a certain value dependent only upon the adjustment of the governor. if then this speed further in creases, the throttling mechanism will further reduce the free passage area for the fluidpressure, and thereby prevent any further acceleration of the torpedo-casing and the torpedo, and if, on the other hand, this speed falls below the said value free passage area for the fluid under pressure will be increased by the throttling mechanism, and hence the torpedo-casing and the torpedo accelerated again. Thus it will be seen that the speed imparted to the torpedo-casing and the torpedo when they arrive in the release position of the latter will be automatically maintained at a predetermined value dependent only upon the adjustment of the governor 21 and entirely independent of the speed of the ship or other circumstances that might affect the speed of the torpedo-casing, provided that the initial pressure in the reservoir 4 is suflicient to impart to the torpedo-casing the desired predetermined speed at the greatest speed of the ship. Therefore the governor having been adjusted once for ever a predetermined speed of the torpedo-casing and the initial pressure in the reservoir t being sufiiciently high, the torpedo-casing will always arrive in the release position of the torpedo with this predetermined speed, whatever may be the speed of the ship, and without any special adjustment of any part of the apparatus. The torpedo-casing having nearly arrived in its outermost position, (and the torpedo in its release position,) the piston 2 slides over a valve 2 1 in the wall of the tube 1, so that this valve is opened by the fluid under pressure in rear of the piston 2, whereby this fluid is permitted to escape from the tube. At the same time a conical portion and, further, a cylindrical portion 26 on the piston 2 enter into a portion 27 of reduced diameter at the front or outer end of the tube 1, thus acting as a buffer. This construction, which, however, does not form part of the present invention, prevents in combination with the mode of governing the movement of the torpedocasing the piston 2 striking too violently against the shoulder 28 at the front en l, the portion 27 of the tube 1, whereby the parts might be injured. The torpedo-casing and the piston having arrived in the outermost position, in which the torpedo is released in any known manner and escapes from the torpedocasing, a device, such as a sleeve 29, operated by the torpedo-casing, opens a valve 30 at the rear or inner end of the tube 1 to permit any fluid in rear of the piston 2 to escape, and thus to enable the piston 2 to return into its innermost position. At the same time fluid under pressureis admitted from a reservoir 31 through a valve 32 into a mechanism which positively, but without any shocks, draws back the piston and the torpedo-casing into their innermost position. At the beginning of this return or inboard movement of the piston 2 this slides again over the valve 24, and thus throws the same out of action. The mechanismfor drawing back the piston and torpedo-casing into the innermost position consists of a cylinder 33, rigidly secured to the piston and the torpedo-casing, a piston 3 t, having a hollow piston-rod 35, freely movable lengthwise in the cylinder 33, the hollow piston 35 acting as a cylinder for a piston 36, the hollow piston-rod 37 of which is secured to the rear head of the tube 1. The central hollow space of rod 37 is connected, through a pipe 38, with the casing of a valve 32. In the outermost position of the piston 2 and torpedo-casing 3 these cylinders and pistons occupy the positions shown in Fig. 4. Now when by opening the valve 32 fluid under pressure is admitted to the hollow space of the piston-rod 37 it flows, entering between the piston 36 and the rear head-plate of the cylinder 35, and forces back the latter until it strikes against the rear head of the tube 1. In this movement the cylinder 35 draws inward the cylinder 33, (through the medium of the piston 34,) and with it the piston 2 and the torpedo-casing. \Vhen the cylinder 35 has reached its innermost position, the piston 36 has passed over ports 39 at the front end of cylinder 35,and now fluid under pressure flows 1 through these parts into the space between the l cylinders 33 and 35, so that the former is drawn backward, together with the piston 2. The operative area of piston 36 is made considerably larger than the operative area of the piston 3*, so that the pull exerted upon the piston 2 and the torpedo-casing is strong in the beginning of the inward movement and becomes weaker toward its end. This effect is further increased by so proportioning the reservoir 31 and so selecting the initial pressure in the same that toward the end of the inward movement of the piston 2 and torpedo-casing the pressure in such reservoir is only low. Now when the piston 2 and the torpedo-casing 3 have almost reached this innermost position the above-named device, such as the sleeve 29, is so shifted that valves 30 and 32 are closed and a valve 40 is opened, which latter permits the fluid under pressure to escape from the cylinders 33 and The air in rear of the piston 2 then acts as a buffer, so that this piston may return into its innermost position without shock, and then leaks through between the piston 2 and the wall of the tube 1. By these telescoping cylinders 33 and 35 and their pistons the piston 2 and the torpedo-casing are returned positively, but without any shock, into their innermost position, (shown in Fig. 3,) in which, after removal of the water that has entered the apparatus and after charging a fresh torpedo into the same, they are ready for launching the latter. The device 29, controlling the valves 30, 32, and 0 and actuated by the torpedo-casing, consists, as shown in the drawings, of a sleeve 29, prevented from revolving and provided with a female screw-thread into which screws a threaded portion of the shaft 12, the ends of such sleeve being provided with shoulders i1 i2. Another sleeve 4:3, also prevented from revolving, is loosely fitted on the sleeve 29 and provided with abutments 44 45, cooperating with tripping-levers 46 and 47, pivoted in the framing of the apparatus. These parts occupy the position shown in Fig. 3 just before the piston 2 has reached its innermost position in the tube 1. In moving in the direction of the arrow the sleeve 29 has by means of its shoulder 42 engaged and shifted the sleeve 43 in the same direction, whereby the abutments 4 45 are pushed under the right-hand arms of the trippinglevers 46 47, of which the former closes, by means of the link 48, the valve 30, while the latter by means of link- 49 and lever 50 closes the valve 32 and opens the valve a0, as above set forth. In this position the parts remain until on launching the next torpedo the piston 2 and the torpedo-casing have nearly reached their outermost position. The fluid under pressure admitted in rear of the piston 2 cannot escape through the valve 30, this being closed; but from the cylinders 33 35 the air can escape through valve 10, which is then open, while one is pushed outward in the other, so that these cylinders will not interfere with the outward movement of the torpedo-casing. During the outward movement of the torpedo-casing the sleeve 29 moves in a direction opposite to that indicated by the arrow until when piston 2 and the torpedocasing have nearly reached their outermost position the shoulder 41 of this sleeve strikes against the sleeve 43 and shifts the same in a direction opposite to that indicated by the arrow, whereby the trippinglevers are so turned that the valves 30 and 32 are opened and the valve 40 is closed. The piston 2 and the torpedo-oasing are thereby automatically caused to move inward, the valves 30, 32, and 40 and the gearing operating the same remaining in their position until the piston 2 and the torpedo-casing have nearly reached their innermost position.

I claim 1. In combination with a submerged broadside torpedo-launching tube, a piston adapted to move therein, a torpedo-casing rigidly secured to such piston, means for admitting fluid-pressure into'such tube in rear of said piston, a throttling device intermediate between the said means for admitting fluid-pressure into such tube and such tube and means for operating such throttling device by the torpedo-casing, whereby the opening uncovered by the said throttling device decreases as the speed of the torpedo-casing increases substantially as and for the purpose described.

2. In combination with a broadside launching-tube, a piston adapted to move therein a torpedo-casing rigidly secured to such piston, means for admitting fluid-pressure into such tube in rear of said piston, a throttling device intermediate between the said means for admitting fluid-pressure into such tube and such tube, a centrifugal governor, gearing for operating such centrifugal governor by thetorpedocasing and gearing for operating said throttling device by the said centrifugal governor whereby the opening uncovered by the said throttling device decreases as the speed of torpedo-casing increases, substantially as and for the purpose described.

3. In combination with a submerged broadside torpedo-launching tube, a piston adapted to move therein, a torpedo-casing rigidly secured to such piston, means for admitting fluid-pressure into such tube in rear of said piston, a device operated by fluid-pressure for moving inward the said piston and torpedocasing, a valve for admitting fluid-pressure to such device, an exhaust-valve for such device, an exhaust-valve for the said tube and means operated by the torpedo-casing for simultaneously opening the first and the last named of the said valves and closing the exhaust-valve for the said device in the outermost position of the torpedo-casing and means operated by the torpedo-casing for simultaneously closing the valve for admitting fluid-pressure to the said device and the exhaust-valve of the tube and opening the exhaust-valve of the said device in the innermost position of the torpedocasing substantially as and for the purpose de scribed.

4:. In combination with a submerged broadside torpedo-launching tube, a piston adapted to move therein, a torpedo-casing rigidly secured to such piston, means for admitting fluid-pressure into such tube in rear of the said piston, a plurality of telescoping cylinders each cylinder, except the outermost one being provided with a piston adapted to move the next outer cylinder,'a hollow piston-rod for the innermost cylinder, such rod being rigidly secured to the body of the tube, ports in each of the said pistons leading from the inside to the outside of the cylinder carrying such piston, means for rigidly connecting the outermost of the said cylinder with the torpedo-casing, a valve for admitting fluid-pressure to the innermost piston-rod, an exhaustvalve for such piston-rod, an exhaust-valve for the tube and means operated by the torpedo-casing for simultaneously opening the first and the last named of the said valves and closing the exhaust-valve for the said innermost piston-rod in the outermost position of the torpedo-casing and means operated by the torpedo-casing for simultaneously closing the valve for admitting fluid-pressure to the said piston-rod and the exhaust-valve of the tube and opening the exhaust-valve of the said piston-rod in the innermost position of the torpedo-casing substantially as and for the purpose described. v

5. In combination with a submerged broadside torpedo-launching tube, a piston adapted to move therein, a torpedo-casing, rigidly secured to such piston, means for admitting fluid-pressure into such tube in rear of the said piston, a device operated by fluid-pressure for moving inward, the said piston and torpedo-casing a valve for admitting fluidpressure to such device, an exhaust-valve for such device and an exhaust-valve for the said tube, levers for operating such valves, a sleeve operated by and reciprocating with said torpedo-casing and means operated by such sleeve at the ends of each stroke for tripping the said levers simultaneously, substantially as and for the purpose described.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ALBERT EDWARD JONES.

Witnesses:

PERCY WOODS, ARCHIE LEwIs. 

